Treasure Hunt
by Quill of Jade
Summary: NejiTen. Team Gai find themselves on a mission that is far more complex than they had initially expected. As the team falls apart, their enemies take advantage of the gaps...
1. Set Off

Chapter 1 – Set Off

'Ah, finally we are all here. I have a mission for you three.'

Three shinobi stood in the Hokage's office listening attentively to the orders they were given. The Hokage had her back to them, concealing the serious expression that was mapped on her face. 'Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji and Tenten, I want you to travel to the Water country, to the hidden village of Mist, to be precise,' Tsunade ordered, 'your mission is to transport a valuable object _safely _to the client. Neji, you'll lead this mission. Shizune will fill you up with the details and give you the item. You may go.'

'_Hai_, Tsunade-sama.'

'_Hai_.'

'Hn.'

'I wonder what's up with that stern mood,' Tenten voiced her thoughts as the three team-mates entered the streets.

'Maybe she's just having a bad day,' Lee suggested, who was walking in between Tenten and Neji.

'Or there's something that concerns her,' Neji said quietly.

_Typical,_ Tenten thought, _he has to think of the negative side, everything's gotta have a reason_…She rolled her eyes unnoticeably.

The trio made their way through Konoha's lively streets in silence. As they passed Ichiraku Ramen, Tenten spotted a blonde and a pink haired shinobi – Naruto and Sakura, of course. Her attention was suddenly drawn to a growl within her.

'Um… I think I'm going to have some ramen, I haven't eaten since yesterday evening, so I'll see ya later,' Tenten waved at her team-mates, changing her course towards the ramen store.

'Uh…ok,' Lee answered, slightly puzzled. 'She didn't eat breakfast? How'd she survive? Breakfast is the meal that brings out the youthful spirit!' he said loudly, fist in the air.

'You might wanna keep it down a bit,' was Neji's neutral response.

* * *

'Hey guys,' Tenten greeted Naruto and Sakura.

'Tenten! What's up?' Naruto smiled widely.

'Nothing much, I'm leaving for a mission tomorrow so I thought I'd enjoy some ramen before I go. That looks delicious, I think I'll have the same,' Tenten said, eyeing Naruto's bowl. She ordered her meal and quietly listened to Naruto talking about this 'awesome new technique'…

'Yeah, yeah Naruto. We get the point…' Sakura was obviously starting to get bored of her team-mate's ramblings. 'So, Tenten, what's that mission about?'

'Oh…I don't know all the details yet, but I know that we're going to transport some object to the Hidden Mist Village,' Tenten replied, relieved that someone had stopped the blonde's exaggerated babble.

'We?' Naruto cut in.

'Yeah, me, Neji and Lee.'

'Two chuunins and a jounin just to transport an object? It must be really valuable,' Sakura noted

'Yes, that's crossed our minds too…' Tenten replied thoughtfully. _Ok, it hasn't, but now that she says it… Although Neji probably noticed…_ Naruto and Sakura were satisfied with the information Tenten offered and soon moved onto arguing about who should pay. The brunette smirked as Naruto lost the row.

Later that afternoon Tenten meandered leisurely through Konoha. She knew she had to pack but her house seemed awfully far away and she wanted to spend at least some time relaxing before she had to go. Walking past the flower shop she saw a familiar figure stroll towards her. The girl with platinum blonde hair wore an amused expression on her face.

'Hey Tenten!'

'Hi…um…' _what's her name again?_ 'Ino…'

'How's it going?' Ino asked, grinning widely.

'Err…fine, I suppose…' _What's gotten into her? I__** never**__ talk to this girl!_

Ino giggled. 'You know, I've heard rumours that you've got your eyes on the Hyuuga,' her grin widened.

'Hyuu…ga?' I took a moment for Tenten to grasp what she had heard, 'WH-WHAT?? N-no! No way! H-he's n-more than a friend!'

'More than a friend?' Ino said mischievously.

'NO! I meant NO MORE than!' Tenten replied frantically.

'Really? All right then.' Ino didn't look convinced. 'Oh well, how about we go for some tea in the cafeteria nearby? The flower shop's closed at the moment. ' (A/N - um…do they have cafeterias in Konoha…? Well for the sake of this fanfic, let's just say they do…)

'Uh…sure.' Now Tenten was even more puzzled. _What does she want?_

Once they entered the café, the two girls found a space next to a window. Tenten seated herself opposite Ino who was currently eyeing the male customers sitting at the adjacent table. A waiter approached and Ino ordered a cup of tea for both of them. The waiter scribbled in his notebook before striding away.

'Thanks for inviting me, Ino,' Tenten began, trying to bring up a conversation. She knew how much Ino loved gossip and had a bad feeling about this little meeting.

'Oh, no problem!' the blonde replied cheerfully. 'But there's something I want to ask you.'

'Yes?'

'See, I've heard people say that a lot of girls are quite interested in Hyuuga Neji at the moment. I hardly ever see him. How 'bout you tell me a little about him?' Tenten blinked at her. _What?? Why is she so interested in Neji?_

'Well… Let's see, he's arrogant, stuck up, talks only when necessary, and is obsessed with the word 'fate' a lot,' Tenten mumbled in one breath. _Ok, maybe the fate bit's not so true anymore, but oh well… _

'Aha…' Ino remarked, 'what about his techniques? What are they like?'

'Why are you interested in his techniques?'

'Ah…err…as people say – a person's techniques and style says a lot about their personality. Haven't you heard that? Also, I heard some girls say that he's drop-dead-gorgeous when he's activated the byu…bya…'

'Byakugan,' Tenten corrected. _I can't believe what we are talking about. If she's got the hots for that guy then she should go talk to him, not me… _

'Yes! That's it!' Ino's face lit up.

Tenten felt the urge for a hurried escape from this girl. 'Let me give you some advice Ino. How about you just go up to him and ask him yourself? He isn't **that** scary…ok, a little, but you'll manage.' She tried to make herself sound apologetic, 'I really have to go now. Tomorrow I have to leave early on a mission so I've gotta pack,' Tenten slowly pushed her chair back. 'Thanks a lot Ino. I'll see you around.'

'Sure, was nice talking to you…' Ino waved as Tenten walked away but after a moment she realized too late that neither of them had drunken anything. 'W-w-wait! Tenten, you didn't get your tea!'

As the brunette exited the café, her mind was even more muddled up than before. _What the hell was that all about?_ She tried to push her worry aside and walked towards her home, lengthening her stride. Not looking back, she didn't see the sly smirk that crept across the platinum haired kunoichi's face.

* * *

Delicate rays of sunlight trickled through the partially closed shutters, falling onto the eyes of a sleeping figure. Slowly the lids flickered open revealing a pair of pearl white eyes. It was six o'clock in the morning and Hyuuga Neji was tranquilly sliding out of his warm bed. He dressed unhurriedly, wrapping the Hyuuga robe around him. Most of the other residents of the Hyuuga House were still asleep, and he had become accustomed to getting up early and leaving the house to train or meditate.

This morning, however, he was on his way to the Konoha Gates to meet his team mates. At a calm pace the tall jounin strolled through the quiet streets of Konoha enjoying the cool breeze that swept past him. Within minutes the huge gate loomed over him. The area was empty. Neji looked at his watch; he was ten minutes early. '_Tsk...'_

Time passed slowly but soon the jounin could hear the loud voice of his _youthful_ spandex-wearing team mate. Seconds later Rock Lee came into sight along with a very irritated looking Tenten.

'Aw, shuddup already!' Tenten yelled at her babbling team-mate. Lee either purposefully ignored her or he hadn't heard her, for his attention was now directed at Neji.

'Neji! You're pretty early,' Lee said joyfully.

'No, you're late,' Neji replied evenly.

'We're not, it's exactly six thirty, you know,' Tenten reasoned.

'Being punctual means coming earlier than the set time. It is also a sign of courtesy,' the tone in Neji's voice did not change. A sigh escaped Tenten's lips. She was in no mood to argue. _Just 'cause you're jounin, doesn't mean you have to act all high and mighty…_

'Alright everyone let's GO!' Lee screamed into the air.

'Not yet,' Neji said quietly, 'looks like someone has come to say goodbye.' The other two blinked.

'Hey guys!' a familiar voice echoed form behind. The three turned to see Ino run towards them. Tenten's mood darkened. _Her again…_

'Ino!' Lee exclaimed, 'what are you doing here this early in the morni-'

'Lee, I have to talk to you,' Tenten interrupted, dragging the chuunin back the way they had come. 'Give her some time alone with him,' she hissed into Lee's ear as they were out of Neji's or Ino's hearing range.

Lee looked puzzled, 'Ino…and Neji?'

Neji stared as Tenten dragged Lee away. _What the…?_ He remembered who was in front of him and turned his attention back to Ino. 'Did you want something from me?'

'Uh… well…yes…' Ino blushed; she looked somewhat relieved that they were now alone. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pendant. Attached to it was a black string. 'Here,' she said timidly and gave it to him, her eyes focused on her feet. He took it, slightly puzzled. _She's acting like_ _Hinata-sama_… 'I heard it was your birthday a while ago, so I thought I'd also give you a little something. It'll give you luck on your mission,' she said quietly before turning on her heels and rushing back into the direction she had come from. _She thinks I depend on __**luck**__ on my missions??_ He looked at the pendant resting in his hand. It looked something like a polished pebble with a few lines scratched into it. _And she sure has a weird taste when it comes to accessories... _

'Now what was _that_ all about, Neji?' Tenten said mockingly. Neji had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed their approach.

'I thought _you_ could tell _me_, especially since you guys just ran off all of a sudden…' he answered. Tenten just sighed; _this guy will never understand girls._

'What a wonderful start to our youthful mission!' Lee pointed out. The other two sighed. (A/N - Tenten's sighing a lot today, isn't she…)

'Well, before we start I'll give you the details of this so _youthful_ mission…' Neji said, glancing at Lee. 'We will travel, by foot, to the edge of the Fire Country where a boat will be prepared for us. From there we'll sail to the Water Country and then meet our client in the Mist Village. Clear so far?' Both his team-mates nodded. 'We will take the package in turns, and for the first part I'll keep it. This may seem like a simple mission but I have an uncomfortable feeling about this. No-matter what, don't let your guard down. This isn't A-rank just for fun.'

'Uh…where _**is**_ the package?' Tenten murmured. Without looking at her, Neji brought out a small box wrapped in paper from his backpack.

'Maybe we should check what's in it, so at least we know what our enemies, if any, would be after. How 'bout you use your byakugan?' Lee suggested.

Neji frowned at him, 'that won't work.'

'Why not?'

'Firstly, because that is against the rules – we are only meant to transport this object, no less, no more. And secondly…uh…I've already tried… and I figured it has a seal on it. I can't see what's inside.' _Neji broke the rules?! He really must be suspecting the hokage of hiding something…_Tenten thought surprised.

'Why would they not want to let us know what's inside?' Lee asked. Neji shrugged and placed the mysterious item back in his backpack.

'One more thing,' Neji said , 'the package is to be delivered by sunset on the fourth day of our mission.'

'Urgh, now I really want to get rid of this thing. We better get this mission over and done with a.s.a.p.' Tenten said.

'YOSH!'

'Hn. Now we're already ten minutes late…'

* * *

A/N: ok this is my first fanfic. hope you like it!

Reviews are always helpful as feedback equals love.


	2. Short Night

* * *

Chapter 2 – Short Night

It had been five whole hours since they had left Konoha. Although they were still traveling fast, Tenten could slowly feel her energy draining after keeping up the same speed for so long. For the last twenty minutes she had only been seeing her team mates' backs. Suddenly, Neji stopped. Had he sensed that she was falling behind?

'What is it, Neji?' Lee queried, landing next to the Hyuuga.

'Nothing. I just think we should take a rest now,' Neji answered. He didn't look at Tenten. _Please don't tell me that he stopped for __**me**__…_That sounded too absurd anyway.

The three of them settled down by the bark of a large tree. The leaves rustled and the faint rays of sunlight peaking through the numerous intertwined branches were warm and comforting. The sweet smell of pine trees and flowers hung in the air around them and birds sang above. It was truly a relaxing atmosphere. Tenten sighed and leaned against a tree, closing her eyes. _I could get used to this._

'No time to relax yet, Tenten,' Lee stated. 'We should get moving quickly and I'm sure we'll make it there in half a day!'

'Lee, it takes two days to get to the Water Country. Plus, the boat that we booked won't be there if we make in half a day,' Tenten murmured, opening one eye. Neji gazed into the trees, attentive and alert. Although she detested his extreme caution, she could not help but simultaneously admire it. It seemed to be in his blood, always watching, always suspecting. She wondered if he would ever let anyone other than himself into his heart. Although they had been team-mates for so long, she still felt he was distant; cold and there.

After ten minutes, Neji's white eyes snapped back to his companions. 'I think we can move on now.' The other two nodded in approval and within minutes they were flying through the trees again.

* * *

The faint light that trickled through the forest roof was getting weaker as the sun turned into a giant globe of fire. Night was creeping in quickly and the team was still working their way through the thick woodland. Tenten was beginning to get irritated at the bloody forest that just didn't seem to end. The only thing she had seen for the last long hours were trees; living trees, dead trees, small trees, big trees… and more trees…

'We have to hurry and get out of this wood. Otherwise we'll have to find a place to sleep outside.' Neji murmured just loud enough for his team mates to hear him. Tenten weighed the options in her head. Either slow down and sleep outside, or speed up and get to a warm bed…umm…

With a flash Tenten was running alongside her Hyuuga partner. Both men were surprised at her abrupt change of attitude.

Fortunately (mostly thanks to Tenten's sudden burst of energy), the trio arrived at a crammed village just outside the forest by nightfall. They found a small inn in which they could spend the night and quickly made their way to their allotted room. One room. Apparently there were a lot of visitors this night and this was the only one left. To their disdain, the small chamber contained only one bed, a double bed, to be precise.

'Ok… who gets the bed?' _you better give it to me,_ a voice whispered inside Tenten's head. _Since when am I so selfish? _\_Hmm let's see…_ \ _Piss off._ Her inner self obviously wasn't always on her side...

Without a word, Neji strolled over to the other side of the room and gracefully dropped down onto the floor underneath the window. He used his backpack as a pillow. _Alright, one down. Now to persuade the other…_She looked at Lee expectantly who in turn stared at her with watery puppy-dog eyes. _Where has he learnt to do that?!_

'Well we can always share the bed, Tenten.' Lee said joyfully. For that he received a solid punch which sent him flying onto the mattress. Just for a split second she thought she glimpsed Neji smirk. _Tsk, next time I see him doing that he's going to get his share of my fist._ She slouched over to the opposite wall and made herself comfortable on the floor, making sure that her precious weapons were safely tucked away in her backpack which she too used as a pillow. Lee had probably been knocked out by her punch and was sprawled over the bed. He looked quite comfortable.

* * *

Tenten awoke with a start. Her brow was covered in sweat and her heart was hammering. _What was that? A nightmare? I hadn't had one in years…_What was worst was that she couldn't even remember what she had dreamt of..

Silently she got up and tiptoed to the bathroom where she splashed some water onto her face. She looked up at her reflection which seemed to glow in the moonlight. She looked terrible. Her hair resembled a bush, her eyes were bloodshot and her skin seemed lifeless. She grabbed a towel and hid her face in it, letting the fabric absorb the excess moisture. As her hands lowered she almost cried out when she saw another reflection in the mirror.

Neji's pearl eyes were staring back at her. 'Tenten,' the way he said her name made her shiver. 'Are you alright?' He didn't actually sound concerned but Tenten pretended he did.

'I'm ok, Neji, thanks,' she whispered back. _Why is my heart throbbing?_ 'Did I wake you?'

'I heard the water so I came to check what caused the sound.' Idiot. That was just him not wanting to say that she woke him and he wanted to see if she was ok. _Right? \Right.\ Good_.

Tenten turned around so they were standing face to face. She was about to throw back a witty comment but the sight of his moonlit face cut her off. It was only then that she noticed he had his byakugan activated. His chakra puffed eyes were looking straight through her and his expression was attentive.

'Neji, what's wrong?' she whispered, surprised at how hushed her own voice was.

'Quiet. There's someone outside.' Silently he slipped out of the bathroom, his long hair brushing past her. She followed him cautiously. The only thing she could hear were the cries of the occasional nocturnal bird and Lee's soft snoring. Well at least _someone's_ peaceful…but if there was really a threat out there, all of them needed to be alert.

'We have to wake him,' Tenten said, walking towards her sleeping comrade.

'Tenten move!' Neji shouted. Glass shattered and the next thing she knew was that she was lying on the ground with Neji's weight pressing her down. Lee had woken up by now and drowsily tried to comprehend what had just happened.

'Neji, what-' her eyes widened at the kunai embedded in the wall above her. On it dangled a burning explosive note. Shit.

Instantly his arm was around her waist and they were flying out through the broken window. Lee close at their heels. The moment they made contact with the floor, the room above lit up in flames with a deafening explosion. The three of them stood back to back, ready to fight.

Another kunai soared towards them and the trio dispersed. Tenten cursed as she realized that the only weapons she had were four measly kunais. The rest of her treasured collection was currently being fried. Oh, these asses were so going to pay. It didn't take her long to find one of the 'arsonists'. The man was masked and dressed in black. He had no forehead protector to disclose his identity.

Their blades met for a split second and both jumped back again taking up a defensive stance. Tenten used the opportunity to check on her team mates.

Both Neji and Lee were fighting. Neji's challenger was a girl dressed and masked equally as Tenten's. Lee's opponent however was dressed in white and he didn't cover up his face. He had pale skin and death grey eyes and his hair was a dark shade of crimson. His taijutsu skills appeared as good as Lee's – who was now thankfully wide awake.

The sound of a wheeling shuriken tore her attention back towards her own enemy. She dodged the flying weapon with ease and threw one of her kunais in response. As he was concentrated on dodging the blade, Tenten leapt over him and was behind him in an instant, holding her kunai at his throat. _Che, child's play. _

'Who are you? What do you want from us?' she hissed into his ear.

To her great dismay, the ear through which she had tried to convey her threat turned out to be part of a large log. She threw it down in frustration. _Coward! Using some damn replacement technique!_

She scanned the area for the fugitive but she couldn't sense his chakra anymore. _He ran away?_

'What the hell is this?!' At the sound of Lee's not-so-pleasant sounding voice, her concentration diverted back to her team mates. Their opponents had obviously also run off. _What a bunch of bloody __cowards__! _

There were other people too; shocked hotel guests who had fled from the now smouldering building. Relieved she noticed that the fire hadn't spread much and had been easily extinguished, and the guests she saw standing outside seemed unhurt. Hurriedly she ran to her comrades.

Lee was sitting slumped on the ground and he looked more like a wooden doll than ever. 'What happened?' she asked concerned.

'I can't move anything!' Lee yelped. There was panic in his voice.

'Well you can move your mouth and eyes,' Neji said calmly. It didn't sound sarcastic but more like a statement. _Very 'Neji-like'…_The Hyuuga activated his byakugan. 'I'll have a look what the guy's done to your limbs. Just sit still for a moment.'

'Sit still? What _else_ can I do?!' Lee huffed.

Neji ignored him. 'Your opponent must have done something to your nerves. He also disrupted parts of your chakra flow. Have you got any idea who or what that man was?'

'No, he didn't wear anything that would reveal what village they came from. And for most of the time he seemed to be using just taijutsu. And it was definitely no Hyuuga, I mean, I would have noticed if he used something like juken,' Lee's voice had calmed but there was still a note of underlying panic.

Surprised, Tenten noticed how Neji's expression exposed a hint of confusion. 'So how did he do it?' he said, deeply in thought.

'I don't know… I don't even remember seeing him use any hand seals.'

'Okay, whatever it is, we won't get any further if we just stay here. We have to get you to a hospital, Lee,' Tenten said firmly.

* * *

The manager of the inn led them to a small building which was apparently the hospital. Neji and Tenten remained in the waiting room while Lee was being inspected.

'What kind of opponent did Lee have? Who were those guys? What the hell were they after??' it was hard for Tenten to keep the numerous questions to herself after what had happened.

'I don't know, but there is a high possibility that they were after this.' Neji held up a small package. Tenten blinked in surprise, it was the object they were meant to protect and deliver. 'Neji when did you…?'

'Whatever the circumstances, you must always be focused on the objective of the mission.' _Tsk, of course he'd give me an answer like that. Especially when I left my weapons to be grilled…_

'And there's another thing,' Tenten looked at him (trying to suppress the intently irritated look that was directed at herself) as he dropped a slightly burnt looking bag onto her lap. She almost jumped at the sound of clashing metal.

'Oh my god, this can't possibly be…' she trailed off as the bag revealed her most prized possessions – her weapons and scrolls.

Her first reaction would have been to hug her team-mate to bits, but hugging Neji would be just…weird. So she settled on an enthusiastic 'thanks!'

'Hn.'

A side thought crossed her mind. 'Why didn't you give them to me while I was fighting?' _Then I would have been able to prevent his escape for sure! \Stop trying to make yourself feel better. \ Shut up._ There she was again – that constantly contradicting little voice inside her head…

'You seemed to be getting on fine without them,' he answered matter-of-factly. He hadn't looked at her and she felt a slight tinge of irritation towards him.

'I'm going to send a report to Tsunade-sama and if Lee can't continue to fight, in the worst case scenario we'll have to finish this mission without him,' he said evenly.

Tenten didn't like the idea of leaving Lee behind, they were a team, after all. But she also understood the logic behind Neji's decision and if they wanted to reach the harbour in time they'd have to leave soon.

'We'll see what Tsunade-sama's orders are. Her message will come by sunset at the latest,' Neji continued, 'and she will probably send nins to escort Lee back to Konoha. There's nothing more we can do right now but analyse the attackers so we get an idea of what we are faced with.'

* * *

Tsunade's response arrived late afternoon and the message the bird carried was short. As Neji had predicted, Lee was to drop out of the mission and be accompanied back to Konoha. The last line read 'be cautious' which was undoubtedly directed at Tenten and Neji.

Just before leaving, they visited Lee.

'So, you're leaving without me?' said Lee, lying down and staring at the ceiling. Obviously the jutsu that had made him immobile had not worn off yet.

'Lee, we wouldn't do this unless it was absolutely necessary,' Tenten tried to reassure him, 'but we can't waste time.'

'Lee,' this time Neji spoke, 'I doubt that you will regain complete control over your body in the next five minutes. Unless that happens, you have to go back to Konoha.'

'I wish you luck, guys,' Lee said. Tenten realised that Lee had understood all along, but due to his inability to move, he had seemed reluctant to accept it. Relieved, she placed a hand on his and whispered, 'thanks, Lee. We'll be back.' He smiled, as much as his stiff body permitted it and added, 'If you don't complete this mission successfully, I'm going to force you to do 300 laps around Konoha!'

'Let's go. Lee, I'll take your word for it.' Neji said. He appeared to sound encouraging, but with his always so impartial demeanour it was hard to tell.

* * *

_A/N: phew! Second chapter finished. Hope you liked it!_

_Tiny hint of NejiTen here...but don't worry, next chapter will probably have more of that. -- All you Rock Lee fans please don't kill meee!_

_Reviews and feedback are always brilliant and the more reviews there are, the faster I'll write the next chapters. It's a form of encouragement!_

_Until next time!_

_QuillOfJade_


	3. Waves' Lullaby

**_First of all, I have to apologize for this extreme delay.. I've been really busy lately, I know it's been months but time hasn't been on my side... So, sorry to all my readers._**

Chapter 3 – Waves' Lullaby

The sun rose and threw a glittering path of orange and yellow on the water's surface. Neji and Tenten had reached the harbour early in the morning and were now boarding the scheduled ship.

'The sea's so beautiful at sunrise!' Tenten sighed as she peered over the endless water. She glanced at her companion. His eyes scanned the water but his expression was distant. _Neji? Spaced out? Is that even possible??_ She noticed the few loose strands of chocolate brown hair that hung by his shoulders. The rest was tied up as usual and in the sunlight it shone in tones of copper. Following his gaze, she squinted in the bright light. In about half a day they would reach the Water Country. _Who knows what's waiting for us over there… I better cherish the time I can relax for now._

´Hey, you two!' a sailor yelled from behind them. Both ninjas turned around to see a short but heavily built man stand before them. He wore a sailor's uniform and his expression was a mixture of boredom and irritation.

'Yes?' Neji said tranquilly. It was almost hard to hear the question out of the word.

'Capt'n says I should show you to your cots,' he grumbled. Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heels and strode towards the other side of the deck. He led them down a fleet of narrow wooden stairs and along a long corridor.

Finally the sailor halted before a low cabin door. 'There you go,' he said, handing Neji a bronze key. The man turned to walk away again.

Neji turned the key and opened the door. The tight room had just enough space for two cots the size of, at best, three adjoining chairs, which occupied either side of the cabin. In between them was a narrow gap and, save for the tiny table that fit between the cots, the room was bare.

Tenten stared at the small space she and her companion would be sharing. All attempts to remain indifferent faltered as her eyes widened to the size of golf balls and her jaw practically hit the floor. Neji was more successful but even he gave away a hint of disbelief.

'We're staying in _there_? That's no bigger than a doll house!' she said baffled. _I'm going to share such a ridiculously small cabin with Neji?_ Not that she was displeased exactly, but maybe a little…taken aback.

'Bear with it,' Neji said, 'I won't bite,' and his pearl eyes rested on hers. There might even have been a slight smirk on his face, but she wasn't sure. _What was that? _'I'm taking the left one.' Any hint of sarcasm had completely vanished from Neji's voice; it had regained its usual detachment.

Tenten nodded and let him enter first. As she stepped in behind him, closing the door, she threw her few belongings onto the right cot – that was her weapons and scrolls, and her weapon holster which she had untied from her leg. Anything else had been burnt to ashes when they had been ambushed. _Urgh…I don't even have a spare set of clothes…dammit! I am so going to find those assholes and make sure they regret everything they've done!_ She wasn't even aware of the murderous expression on her face until Neji raised his eyebrows and said, 'eh...Tenten? You ok?'

The kunoichi whirled around to stand face to face with him. 'I…um…yes, I'm fine,' she grinned sheepishly. Neji's alabaster eyes peered down at her. They were standing so close, she could almost feel his slow breathing.

'Good. I suppose we better get some rest then,' he said evenly. Swiftly, he removed his shirt, to reveal a solid wall of muscle. Tenten flushed, speechless. The walls of the cabin seemed to draw closer, and she was hit by a wave of claustrophobia. She wasn't actually claustrophobic, but if she had been, this was probably what it felt like.

Neji obviously didn't notice Tenten's temporary paralysis. He let himself slump onto the small bed, having to bend his legs because it was too short. With closed eyes he placed his hands behind his head. He looked so peaceful.

Of which Tenten was pretty much the opposite. Her whole body was tense and her gaze was locked firmly on Neji's tranquil body. She shuddered. _Why the hell am I so shaken up? It's not like I've never seen Neji's bare chest._ Of course she'd seen it before; on the training grounds when she was unsuccessfully trying to land a hit on his body with at least fifty kunais at once. _Urgh! Get a grip, Tenten! You're being ridiculous!_ she growled inwardly.

She pushed her possessions to the end of the cot before lying down herself. The mattress was hard and uncomfortable, and even though she was almost a head shorter than Neji, she too had to bend her legs. 'These beds were made for dwarfs!' she hissed under her breath.

'Probably for people like that _friendly_ sailor we met earlier,' Neji muttered ironically. _How did he hear me?_

Tenten smiled, 'maybe people in the Mist are not as tall as people like you,' she said, just as sarcastically. Neji gave a short 'tsk' in response. 'Speaking of the Mist, do you think they could have anything to do with the guys that attacked us?' she continued, her voice normal again.

'Possibly.' It was no secret that the relations between Leaf and Mist were nowhere near ideal. That was the reason why most missions involving the Mist were A-rank. Word had spread that there were even harsh conflicts within the Mist village itself. 'Either way, we can't let our guard down. Someone is targeting this package; hence is targeting _us_,' Neji said quietly.

'I know,' she said, before letting her weariness take over and drifting into sleep.

* * *

Tenten cracked a tired eye open. The unappealing white light above flickered harshly and she squinted. _Oh…we left it on?_ She slowly turned her head to see that Neji's cot was empty. 'Umf' she muttered, as she sat up. 'Now where did he run off to?'

All her muscles were stiff and aching from the uncomfortable position she had slept in. She wondered how much time had passed. Without any opening to the outside in the small cabin, it was impossible to imagine what time it was so she thought that the decision to get some fresh air was pretty reasonable. Getting up, she collected all her weapons and placed them in her weapon holster. What didn't fit in there was hidden in secret pockets in her sleeves. She shuddered as the cold metal bit at her skin.

Taking a step towards the door, her foot found itself entangled with the straps of Neji's backpack throwing her off-balance. Just as she wanted to grab hold of the door knob for support, it turned and moved outwards. She shut her eyes, waiting for her face to make contact with the floor.

Instead, her upper body hovered a small distance above it. Surprised, she opened her eyes, to stare at two open-toed boots.

'Tenten…what are you doing?' came Neji's rich voice from above. He had grabbed her arms just in time to stop her fall. (A/N: Rather heroic, isn't he?)

'I…umm… I was just going to do a push up,' Tenten replied still half hanging in the air. _Could you have made the excuse any more credible?_ The inner voice was obviously displeased with Tenten's ridiculousness.

To her great surprise, she heard a low laugh as he let go of her arms, causing her to slump to the floor. 'Go on then.'

The kunoichi grimaced with irritation and was about to push herself up before stopping short. 'No! I don't have to prove anything to **you**,' she said forcefully.

'Is that so?' he said, the sarcasm like a blow to Tenten's embarrassment. Swiftly she rose to her feet and stared daggers at him. 'Well at least you didn't need my help with that last _push up_ then,' he added sardonically.

'Stop mocking me! Where were you anyway?' she said, annoyed that her team-mate was further rubbing salt into her wounds.

'Well, the ship isn't overly spacious. There are only a number of places I could have been.'

'Aw shuddup,' Tenten barked at him. 'How long until we reach the Water Country?'

'About half an hour.'

'Ah good. I'm sick of this cramped cage.'

'You're not the only one. Gather your belongings and we'll go on deck.'

Tenten did as she was told and followed Neji out of the cabin. As they reached the top of the wooden stairs, she inhaled the salty air deeply. It was cold and refreshing – just what she needed after being drowned in the stale air of their cabin. Casually she walked to the rail and peered into the distance where she could faintly see the outlines of the Water Country. Somehow, it looked obscure and uninviting.

Neji joined her and glanced down at the rushing waves. When he spoke, he kept his eyes fixated on the water. 'It's highly probable that we'll face the same opponents again. I doubt that they'd just let it go after failing once.'

'But we didn't exactly **defeat** them, did we… Why did they just run away so quickly?' Tenten said thoughtfully and Neji turned his head to look at her.

'You think they're stronger than what they showed us?'

'Possibly… I mean, Lee said that his opponent was using taijutsu, so why did his body end up immobile?'

'Well if we knew that, then it would make this mission a lot saf—.' The booming voice of a sailor interrupted him. Neither Neji, nor Tenten had understood what the sailor was saying as the sound merged with further shouts and screams. The distinctive noise of a kunai striking wood came from the starboard side of the boat, and more of the lethal weapons soared towards them. Neji deflected four of the blades, one of them almost hitting Tenten's shoulder.

Not too far away, she saw where the attack had come from. A smaller ship was nearing them but there didn't seem to be any crew on deck. So who was throwing the kunais?

'Tenten! Take care of that boat! I'll take up defence!' Neji called. She gave him a curt nod and ran to the highest area of the deck. Panicked sailors rushed passed her, scurrying below deck and nearly elbowing her off-balance. As she finally reached the steering wheel, she jumped onto the rail and leapt into the air, taking out two scrolls. As they unrolled around her she swiftly bit her thumb until the blood oozed out. "_Kuchiyose no jutsu"_ she hissed as she drew the wound across each of the scrolls. Immediately a variety of countless weapons rained down towards the opponent's vessel. Each of them hit their target, both over and under water. Soon after it began to sink and the wild water embraced it hungrily.

As she landed back on deck, relief swept over her as she saw that neither their ship nor any of the sailors had acquired any major injuries. Neji was busy attending one crew member who had been lightly grazed by a kunai.

Tenten turned to watch the other boat as the waves continued to overwhelm it. But something wasn't right. Why was it that the boat appeared to be _purposefully_ descending underneath the water's surface, rather than sinking because it had been damaged? She narrowed her eyes to focus on it and gasped. Now she knew what was wrong. The vessel was completely unharmed. It should have been entirely covered in holes where her weapons had torn through the wood, but there weren't even any marks. She stared at it as it finally submerged, disappearing from view.

For what happened next, she wasn't prepared for. Excruciating pain shot through her body as something sliced through her side, at unimaginable speed. She let out a shout as she was thrown off balance and her back hit the rail which shattered under the sudden impact of her weight and momentum. She was falling. _Shit!_

'_**T**__ENTEN__**!!**__'_

_

* * *

_

The waves were cold and the water soaked her body, her hair, her lungs, everything. The pressure rose as she sunk and her thoughts became jumbled, blurred. Scarlet engulfed her, wrapping itself around her limp body like a comforting blanket. It became darker and more opaque until it was a rich wine red. It was such a soothing colour, even in the darkness. She felt no pain, no fear. She felt nothing. Faintly in the distance, she could hear the rushing waves, a peaceful lullaby.

* * *

A/N - hope you enjoyed this chapter. I certainly ejoyed writing it. ;P Tell me what you think - talk to me people! :D


	4. Loss

Chapter 4 - Loss

Neji had seen her fall. He had seen the blood. And he had heard her scream. The memories stabbed him every time they entered his mind, inwardly tearing him apart. He had wanted to jump after her, to save her, but the sailors held him back. They were saying unreasonable things about sharks and how there would be too many with all her blood. They were saying these things to a ninja! It seemed ridiculous at the time.

He had struggled against them, had even injured a man, but still they wouldn't let go. He continuously shouted her name, tried everything to come free without killing them all, but it was useless.

'_Please! Stay calm, there's nothing you can do for her!'_

'_Don't you see the sharks? There are already at least fifty! There is no way you could reach her on time! You'll be killed!' _

The sailors had yelled into his ears as if he was insane. Even though he could not deny the increasing number of dorsal fins that appeared on the water's surface, he refused to believe their words. He didn't want to believe that she was dead. He didn't want to believe that there was no possibility of saving her. Over and over he tried to escape the sailors' grasps.

It had been at least an hour until he had finally sunk to his knees and given up. He had lost a dear friend. And he hadn't been able to save her.

* * *

By dusk the boat had reached the Water Country. The small harbour was bustling with life; boats were coming in and out, fishermen were selling their fresh catch, sailors loaded cargo onto a merchant ship and children were playing by the pier. But to Neji, all the movement around him was a blur. He didn't hear or see anything, not the crew that was wishing him good luck, nor the people in the port. It was as if he was moving entirely by instinct and his mind had stopped functioning the moment he saw his team-mate fall.

The Mist Village was about a day's travel away from the harbour. Since it wasn't his first time to visit the Mist, finding the way was no problem. It led through marshes and forests, along lakes and rivers, but again, Neji took no notice. Time wasn't moving at a steady pace. On occasion it would feel as if the hours flew by like minutes, only to suddenly slow and stop when he was least expecting it. When time stopped for him, the pain was unbearable. It was the only thing there, until the hands of the devilish clock finally seemed to move again.

The pain was so familiar. The first time he had felt it was when he was little, and his father was killed for the sake of his clan. Back then he couldn't have done anything, he was just a kid. _This_ time he could have gone after her, he could have saved her. But he hadn't.

_Ninjas aren't meant to bear emotions during missions. They become a burden and a weakness, especially during combat. This rule made sense on paper, but in reality, even a ninja is still human._

* * *

Neji reached the Mist Village in less than a day and a half due to the minimal amount of breaks and sleep he had allowed himself. He hadn't eaten either, only liquid managed to stay in his stomach. He arrived at the inn and was immediately given a room without much commotion. That was probably due to his exhausted appearance; he knew he must've looked ready to collapse. A short glimpse in the mirror as he passed the bathroom confirmed his assumption. His normally pearl white eyes were grey accompanied by dark rings hanging under them, and his long hair was entangled even though he usually didn't need to brush it.

He slumped onto the bed and let his mind drift. What was he going to do now? The correct thing to do would be to report to the Hokage and finish the mission alone, unless told otherwise. But was it really that simple? Could he really complete this A-rank mission while leaving his comrades behind? He suddenly knew what Sasuke must feel like. Revenge was a terribly tempting idea right now.

Considering the mission, he searched for the package in his backpack. As his fingers found it, he brought it forth and examined it. _I wonder, if there's a possibility that you're the cause for this mess…_The package gave no answer.

The aim of the mission had been simple. Deliver the box within the time limit, get a signature that it had been received, come back to Konoha. Nothing less, nothing more. However, they had been attacked twice along the way, each time losing one team-member. Was it the same enemy? And what exactly were they after? He had been suspicious of the whole thing when Tsunade couldn't tell him what was in the package. Now he certainly had reason to be.

Neji fell back onto the pillows and stared at the ceiling. Thousands of thoughts of the past few days crowded his brain, making it difficult to think clearly. But eventually, sleep broke through his defences and invaded his body and mind, taking over his consciousness.

For the first time, he felt truly alone.

* * *

_A/N. OK, this chapter took a little longer to write than I'd imagined.. Sorry it's so short, then again, I don't think anyone would like to read even more about Neji's grievings.. This one's a bit of a filler chapter I think. So, what happened to Tenten?..._

_I'd just like to say, that the next few chapters may take a little longer (i know, i havent been quick with the previous ones but ill really try my best people!) due to a change in my planning.. yeah, my plot's changed so I need to sort of fiddle together all the loose ends. Hopefully, Ill have the story all sorted out again soon, like it should be._

_Thanks for reading_

_QuillOfJade._

* * *


	5. A Village Near The Mist

_Ok, now before you point that knife at me and start going on a rampage due to my lateness, think about all the blood sweat and tears I shed to write this one! ... _¬¬u _Oh whatever – look down! You have a chapter to read!_

Chapter 5 – A Village Near The Mist

* * *

_Through the waves she heard a voice. A voice so soothing and gentle, that it filled her mind completely, making her disregard any of the worries and fears that had begun to surface. There was only that melodic voice calling out to her. She listened to it intently, and like a child, it had her captured. She felt she would do anything for that angelic voice, anything for it to continue talking to her. She couldn't understand what it was saying, but she didn't need to. The sound was enough. And like a child, she never noticed the undertone._

* * *

Every one of her muscles ached. Tenten couldn't remember ever having suffered so much pain upon opening her eyes. _I thought they said that all your pain goes away after death. Damn liars._ The first thing she saw was… well nothing. It was pitch black. _So much to the theory of a bright light guiding your way to heaven…_Underneath her she felt cold stone bite at her skin. She shivered. Slowly her fingers wandered to her right side, just under the ribcage where she knew she had been hit. The area was hot like a fever, but instead of an open wound and ripped clothes, she felt the firm material of a bandage. And no clothes at all, well at least no top. Her entire torso was bandaged. _I am starting to get doubts about whether I'm dead or not…_She was also completely dry, which meant that she had been out of the water for quite a while. Gradually everything came back to her - the ship that had attacked them, the kunai that had hit her, and finally her fall.

So, if she had gone overboard and been positively sure that she had been drowning, why was she here on land and, presumably, quite alive? Her need for answers became suddenly urgent. With difficulty, she managed to sit up. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could finally distinguish her surroundings. She was sitting in a stone cave, obviously just by the sea as she could here the calm waves hitting the cliffs nearby. The smell of saltwater lingered in the air and soon the outlines of stalactites and stalagmites emerged from the darkness. She tried to stand up.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' a male voice echoed through the cave.

Taken by surprise, she shot upwards, only to be knocked off balance by the pain in her side. Two strong arms caught her fall. 'Are you alright?' the man said by her ear. Gently he let her down.

Shortly thereafter, a candle lit up. It revealed a young man, maybe in his early twenties, with strawberry-blonde hair with such a reddish tint Tenten could have sworn it was almost light pink. His eyes glowed amber in the flickering light and he gave her a warm smile. 'See? I told you, you shouldn't try to get up,' he said. His tone was friendly.

'How would anyone _not_ try to get up if they heard a spooky voice ricochet off the walls in a cave of which they had no idea how they got in? It's instinct!'

The man laughed. 'I'm sorry to have scared you. But it seems you're feeling better, am I right?'

Tenten hesitated. 'Why am I alive?'

He looked slightly surprised by her question. As if he thought she would know. 'Actually, I think you have to ask yourself that. I found you floating in the water when I was out fishing. I could have sworn you were dead. You gave me quite a shock, young lady.'

'I was floating in the water? How is that possible? I was sure that I was drowning,' Tenten said, more to herself.

'Well then thank the lord for saving you! Quite frankly, I wonder why the sharks didn't go after you.'

'Thank you, I appreciate your support,' Tenten said, slightly irritated at the whole situation. There were still too many unanswered questions.

'Oh, I'm sorry miss. I didn't mean to offend. I was just …'

'It's alright. Don't worry about it,' she said quickly and smiled. 'Anyway, I'm Tenten.'

'Nice to meet you, I'm Ryuu,' he smiled back. 'I see you're from Konoha?'

'Uh, yeah. I was on a mission with my team. We kind of got split up.' _How did this happen? First Lee, then me…_

'That's unfortunate... Were you here to stop the mess in town?'

'What?' Tenten blinked in surprise.

'You don't know? The village nearest to the Mist is in complete chaos.'

'And the Mizukage is not doing anything?'

'Apparently, they have problems of their own,' Ryuu said, obvious distaste in his voice.

'Are you from that village?' Tenten asked cautiously.

'Uh… yes, I am.'

Tenten took a while to consider. 'Could you take me there?' _If it's near the Mist, there's a possibility of finding Neji somewhere around there…_

Now it was Ryuu's turn to stare at her in revelation. 'What?'

'Well if the Mist isn't sending any ninjas to your village, I might as well have a look at the situation.' Call it intuition or instinct, but something was telling her not to mention Neji to him quite yet.

'In your current condition? Look, as much as I appreciate your good intentions, I can tell just by looking at you, that you will get yourself killed.'

_Well thank you for your bluntness..._'You're underestimating me.' Tenten certainly didn't like being told that she was helpless, regardless of whether it was true or not. And she definitely didn't like sitting back and waiting for a recovery while her team-mate was probably worried sick about her. Or… was he? She quickly pushed the thought aside. _Of course he's worried. We're team-mates!_

'I may be, since I'm a simple fisherman and you are, by the looks of it, a full-fledged ninja. But my gut feeling tells me that you are in no state to fight. Especially as even something as simple as getting up proves difficult for you,' he said firmly.

His statement hit Tenten's pride like a punch but she quickly calmed her emotions. In her head, she weighed her options. She could trust this stranger of whom she knew virtually nothing about and therefore risk being backstabbed while she was vulnerable, or she could go seek the Hidden Mist in search of Neji and die along the way due to her brittle condition. Either way, the outcomes of both didn't look necessarily rosy, but if she stayed with Ryuu, there was a possibility of him helping her.

And truthfully, he really only looked like a normal fisherman who found a near-dead girl on one of his outings. Clearly not a very everyday scenario though.

'Fine. It looks like I don't have much choice,' she admitted. 'Though, why are you so willing to help me?'

'Lady, my village is being attacked, probably by shinobi. The lives of my family and friends are on the line, and finding you gave me a little bit of hope.'

'Wait, what? You didn't say they were ninjas, nor that you were being _attacked_ by someone.'

'I did say now. And anyway, does it make a difference?'

'It depends on the attackers,' Tenten replied. She didn't feel like explaining right now. Exhaustion still hung over her and her body was screaming for sleep.

Ryuu seemed to noticed. 'Ok, I think you've taken up enough information for tonight. Take a rest, your body needs it,' he said, his soothing voice urging her to comply.

She let herself sink down into a comfortable position. Well, as comfortable as you can get on cold stone. A question dawned on her then, 'By the way, Ryuu, where are we?'

'Oh this? It's a cave I use when I need to stay at sea overnight. It's too dangerous to stay on the boat. It's about an hour away from the village.'

'So you need to sail back then?'

He smiled. 'I tend to do that, yes. However there is a way by foot from here. It may be slightly shorter, but imagine carrying a load of fresh fish all the way there.'

'I see…' Tenten said dreamily. She was already half asleep by then.

* * *

It had been three days. Three days of thinking, pondering and regretting. Neji had allowed himself forty-eight hours to get himself together. He knew he would never be able to hold that deadline. But he also knew that he had to focus as there was another problem to deal with. They had exceeded the time limit of the mission.

The schedule had been tight. Two days to travel to the Water Country, one day to get to the Mist, and an additional day to deliver the packet. Neji hadn't even dared to count how many days they were overdue by now. He was surprised however, that he still hadn't gotten word from Tsunade. Logically, this mission would have been a failure. And right now, what he wished for the most was to just go home.

But since he hadn't been advised to do so, he had no choice but to continue with this mission. He had made up his mind. He would go to see the recipient of the object by today and he would make sure to get some answers out of him.

He tucked the box safely into his backpack and shouldered it. A guide was sent to accompany him to the feudal lord that had issued the mission. According to the guide, the man lived not far away from the Mist, in the outskirts of a nearby village.

The two men travelled in silence. Unlike Neji's usual pace, they were walking. Well, since his guide was no ninja, flying through the trees would probably prove to become a slight difficulty.

'I must warn you, shinobi. The Hidden Mist is in a fragile situation. Ambushes are not a rare occurrence,' said his companion suddenly.

Neji glanced at him. He wondered when the last time was that he had made actual eye contact with anyone. 'Thank you for your warning, but I am aware of the crisis in the Mist. Your Mizukage is in bad health, I heard, and rebels are beginning to break through your defences.'

'You are well informed. And it seems that these rebels are using the small fishing village to get to our weakest point.'

The conversation ended there, and neither of them spoke again. After about an hour's walk, a few wooden houses replaced the constant fields and marshes. The guide led him to a tavern at the edge of town. The last thing he said before he left was, 'Follow the main road all the way through the village. It will take you to the feudal lord's mansion on the other side. I apologize for not being able to lead you there, but I hope you can manage. Good luck.'

Neji didn't waste another thought on why his guide wouldn't take him through the town. When he advanced further into the village, he was met by a rather worrying scene however. He hadn't really noticed it before but he was now fully aware of how deserted the streets were and the deathly silence that enveloped the area. Windows and doors were shut, shops closed and it seemed as if the people were hiding from something – or someone. _Well this is rather odd…_ He continued cautiously, hiding his chakra and casually resting one hand on his weapon holster. He didn't activate his byakugan, afraid that it would alert anyone who saw him. Moments later, he wished that he had.

The only thing that warned him of the weapon that was rapidly approaching from behind was the hissing sound it made. Neji crouched and rolled to the left just in time, although the sharp object still managed to rip the fabric and taste the skin of his arm before sinking into the ground. He glanced back and confirmed it to be a fine wooden arrow. He didn't have time to analyse the weapon as another two soared towards him. He dodged one and deflected the other with ease, his chakra-puffed eyes now anxiously scanning the surroundings. There were five of them.

Rushing footsteps drew near, but he had seen the man before he had heard him. The attacker advanced from the right as Neji remained static. A split-second before the man brought down his blade onto his back, Neji swung round to lightly strike three chakra points, rendering him immobile. The knife clattered to the floor and the man sunk to his knees, clutching his stomach in pain.

Another two ran at him from behind and he gracefully fended them off with simple taijutsu. The last two however, emerged from the side-street slowly. Each pointed a crossbow at him. Unlike their comrades, they wore a dark green uniform. Neji straightened up. These two were different from the other three, plain taijutsu would not suffice against them.

'Who are you and what do you want from me?' Neji inquired. He kept his voice controlled.

The two men exchanged glances. 'We form part of this town's military protection squad. You are from Konoha, I presume,' one of them said. He was blonde and had deep grey eyes. Eyes of doubt and distrust.

_This place has a military?_ Neji noticed however, that the two men in front of him were not ninjas. They may have been skilled in fighting and in the use of their weapons, but if he used juuken on them, they wouldn't stand a chance. Nevertheless, this encounter might even prove to be useful to him. 'Yes, I am from Konoha. What do you want from me?' he repeated.

'We'd like you to come with us please.'

Neji was beginning to wonder what they were planning. _They know I'm from Konoha, they know I'm a shinobi. So why are they acting as if I'm some kind of wanted criminal?_ He nodded slowly and followed them, still having his byakugan activated.

* * *

'_Gasp! Neji gets detained?? Or does he? Will Tenten recover? And who's this Ryuu guy??'_ …_is probably what you're all asking now._

_Ok, I'm sorry I left you with another cliffy, but I didn't want this chapter to become __**too**__ long. I hope you enjoyed it though, and that the story is still keeping you interested!_

_Reviews are always welcome._

_Until next time,_

_Quill of Jade. _


End file.
